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Hat tip Newham Recorder “Cllr and members of the public attending a vigil on Dames Road where a V1 flying bomb landed killing people on a bus outside the Holly Tree pub

DOZENS GATHERED TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS TO FOREST GATE’S WAR DEAD ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE NIGHT A BOMB HIT A BUS DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

The event, organised by Forest Gate North Labour Party, was held at the site of the 1944 blast outside The Hollytree Pub in Dames Road.

It is thought around 20 people died in the explosion, although no reliable record exists because wartime press censorship stopped much detail being published in order to limit the information available to the enemy about attacks.

Cllr Seyi Akiwowo, one of the organisers of Thursday’s event, said: “The event was fantastic. It was put together at short notice and there was a good turnout. I’m glad we were able to pay our respects.”

In his speech at the vigil, Cllr Anam Islam said: “Now, just as then, the price we pay for liberty is eternal vigilance against racism and prejudice.”

West Ham MP Lyn Brown, who was unable to attend the event, told of its importance.

She said: “It is right and important that we commemorate those who perished or lost loved ones in the fight against fascism, and just as important that we remember the anti-fascist and anti-racist heritage of the East End with pride.

“Levels of racist, Islamophobic, and anti-Semitic hate crime have all risen over the past year, and it is important we draw on this past to bring us together and renew the fight against far-right ideology and its terrible effects. That aim will be easier to achieve if we have a more accurate narrative of what actually happened.”

Eyewitness Cyril Demarne is quoted in The Heroic Story of the Second World War Bomb Disposal Teams by James Owen as saying: “A trolley bus, crammed with home going workers, had caught the full blast and the whole area was a sickening sight.

“Dismembered bodies littered the roadway, others were splattered over the brickwork of the houses across the way and the wreckage of the trolley bus was simply too ghastly to describe.

“The lower deck seated passengers were all dead. Although many of the victims had been decapitated, they were still sitting down, as if waiting to have their fares collected.”

(the V1 flying Bomb landed just outside Newham but much of the bomb damage and deaths were inside modern Forest Gate. A 80 year old local resident who remembered being told about the attack pointed out to us the exact impact. The death toil was at least 38 and probably much more)

This looks like a really good event. Well done to the new Newham Fabians Officers for organising this. Thankfully we now have a local Fabian society that actually does stuff! Tom will be a great speaker.

This picture is from last Wednesday evening, when we had a West Ham Labour General Election “Wash Up”. CLP Officers, Branch organisers and secretaries were invited to our headquarters in Stratford to talk about and debate, what went right with our election campaign, what could had been done better and preparing for the next General Election (which who really knows but could happen anytime soon).

It was a constructive and honest debate and as the Parliamentary agent for the election who chaired the meeting, I am pleased that everyone present contributed. A report on our findings will be sent out to the CLP. A working group on social media was agreed and will meet soon.

On the whole, most things went well in the election and of course, we won in West Ham with a massive increased majority for our MP, Lyn Brown with 77% of the vote. However, we need to get out more of our 2,000 West Ham Labour members being active and out campaigning and door knocking in marginals.

This is a really exciting time to be involved in politics and I cannot wait for the next General Election and for the West Ham campaigning machine to play its part in electing a Labour government.

All Labour Party members in Newham, East London should have received a letter last week from the Labour Party encouraging those eligible to apply to stand as a candidate.

Quite rightly “Women, Black and Minority Ethnic members, Carers, people with disabilities, Council and social housing tenants and members 26 and under” are “particularly welcome“.

To be a candidate you:-

Must live in Newham and be on the electoral register at the address where you hold your membershipMember of Labour Party before 1 January 2016 Must be up-to-date with your member subscriptionCannot be legally disqualified e.g employee of Newham Council or be politically restrictedMust accept the standing orders of the Labour Group and the code of conductWill need to demonstrate a track record of campaigning for the Labour Party.

To seek selection you need to fill out a form and then undergo an interview. If you pass that then you would have to selected by local Party members in a relevant ward. Sitting Councillors, such as myself, have to go through a similar process.

If you are interested and meet the eligibility then email the regional Labour Party on Newham2018@labour.org.uk and ask for an application pack. This will need to be sent back by Monday 7 August.

Candidates who do not meet the track record of campaigning for the Labour Party will in my view have a real problem now with meeting this requirement.

I would strongly urge candidates who have never applied before to take advice from others on filling out the form and preparing for interviews. I and other existing Councillors will be more than happy to offer advice and support.

Finally, in the letters sent out about the process there has been some sort of an IT error and members told wrongly that they are in arrears or otherwise ineligible. Please check your eligibility and challenge if a mistake has been made.

Picture collage from Saturdays Forest Gate Festival. This was a really fantastic event and for the first time we had a Labour Party stall at the festival talking to people and encouraging them to join the Party.

It was amazing how many people said they were already members and the very positive reaction we had from other residents, who were not so far members but are so angry with this government and want to get rid of it.

Join Ilford South at an event to celebrate Mike Gapes and his 25 years as an MP in Ilford South.
Date: Saturday 5 August

Where: Ilford Golf Club, Wanstead Park Road, IG1 3TR (there is a large car park at the back of the club)

Menu: Stuffed Portobello Mushroom, Tuscan Chicken, Apple & Blackberry Crumble. Tea/Coffee and mints. The will be a vegetarian option and the chicken will be halal.
Tickets are £35 per head and include dinner, guest speakers and live music.

After a short break, members of Forest Gate North & West Ham Labour, led by our newly re-elected MP (with 77% of the vote) Lyn Brown, were back on the campaign trail. As well as the NHS demo in Central London, last Saturday was a Labour Party National Campaign Day, on Theresa May, having “No Mandate for Cuts”.

This was in the week that the Tories voted and cheered in Parliament on cutting yet again public sector pay, while at the same time crying crocodile tears about the bravery of our Police, Fire & Ambulance service.

There was a superb response today in Forest Gate for Labour, including signing a petition about the Grenfell fire and making sure that the Council does everything possible to make things safe for residents.

Before the stall, Lyn went to nearby Market Square to support the very first Forest GAYTE Pride.